Singer

The great Austrian repertoire, from Strauss and Strauss to Mahler and Berg, is in the best hands with Manfred Honeck, a native of Vorarlberg. And because the 2026 Hamburg International Music Festival is dedicated to the theme of "The End," Honeck will be performing the most monumental vision of the end of the world by an Austrian composer of the 20th century at the opening concert: Franz Schmidt's setting of the apocalypse, "The Book with Seven Seals." Outstanding singers and choirs are a must here.

EPSG:4326

Franz Schmidt: The Book with the Seven Seals / Manfred Honeck

Elbphilharmonie Hamburg

The work remains a mystery to this day. Why did Bach, a Protestant, write this great Catholic mass towards the end of his life and thus leave a kind of compositional legacy? Hans-Christoph Rademann, director of the Gaechinger Cantorei, has long been concerned with this pinnacle of vocal art, with the question of the reason for its composition, but also with the fractures that result from its enormous stylistic range. It is all the more astonishing, almost incomprehensible, that such a great whole should emerge from it," marvels the conductor and Bach expert in view of the work's heterogeneous individual parts. For the director of the Stuttgart Original Sound Ensemble, this combination of contrasting elements has a strong symbolic power: "It is a global work, and the ending with the prayer for peace is particularly topical. We need that today.

J. S. Bach, H-moll-messe

Alte Oper

At a time when the church was questioning the morality of art, Bach gave the world a musical triumph of faith and spirit, and few masterpieces of this scope are as intimate and personal as his St. Matthew Passion. In these performances, the Milwaukee Symphony Chorus — celebrating its golden anniversary — sings the text from the Gospel of Matthew, sharing a profound biblical narrative with color and emotion.

Bach’s St. Matthew Passion

Warner Grand Theater

Patrick Grahl's wonderful voice and oustanding diction has made him one of the most sought-after tenors of his generation, in particular for oratorio and concert work, working regularly with musicians including the Leipzig Gewandhausorchester, the NDR Radio Philharmonie, the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and London Symphony Orchestra with conductors such as Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Sir Simon Rattle and Philippe Herreweghe. Born in Leipzig, he was a member of the Thomanerchors before studying for his masters at the »Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy« university. Alongside his busy operatic career, which has taken him to places including Venice, Helsinki, Budapest and Lyon, he is passionate about singing Lieder. Don't miss the chance to hear him with his pianist Klara Hornig singing works you've probably never heard before, by Wilhelm Weismann, Rudolf Wagner-Regény, Hanns Eisler and Johannes Weyrauch, which you can hear again if you buy their much praised recording Das ferne Lied.

Patrick Grahl (tenor) & Klara Hornig (piano)

Oper Frankfurt

Two orchestras – the Czech Philharmonic and the Czech Philharmonic Youth Orchestra – join forces to perform works by the two of the most popular classical composers: Mozart and Beethoven. Giovanni Antonini will lead both orchestras, looking for hidden worlds between the lines in the scores. All his life, he has specialised in older music.

Czech Philharmonic • Giovanni Antonini

Rudolfinum

"The greatest artwork the world has ever seen" - at least that's what the head of the Berlin Sing-Akademie, Carl Friedrich Zelter, thought in 1811, over 60 years after Bach's death, about his Mass in B minor. But even without this superlative, it is the work of the master that is still the most frequently performed worldwide and is even said to make die-hard atheists contemplate. It is considered the peak of Bach's work and is the last major work that he was able to complete shortly before his death. For the Dresden Chamber Choir and Hans-Christoph Rademann, it is also a summit in a way, as the choir, together with the Dresden Philharmonic, will perform it as the highlight of its 40th anniversary year.

Bach B Minor Mass

Palace of Culture

Schmidt "The Book with seven seals" with Fabio Luisi

Vienna Concert Hall

Cantatas 1

St. Gumbertus Church

4th Subscription Concert - Philharmonic Choir Berlin

Berliner Philharmonie

Choral-symphonic concert "55 Years of the Jena Philharmonic Choir"

Volkshaus Jena

Together with conductor Nicholas Kraemer, the orchestra will follow Bach's Mass in B minor, which is considered by many to be one of the finest Baroque compositions and in which one can hear echoes of Gregorian chant.

Tenor

Patrick Grahl

Events

Past events

1 - 2 May, 2026

Franz Schmidt: The Book with the Seven Seals / Manfred Honeck · Elbphilharmonie

Mar 27, 2026

J. S. Bach, H-moll-messe · Alte Oper Frankfurt

Future and recently performed repertoire

Singer in Mass in B minor by Bach

Dresdner Philharmonie

Singer in The Book with Seven Seals by Schmidt

Brandenburgischen Staatsorchesters Frankfurt

Singer in Requiem in D minor by Mozart

Czech Philharmonic

Singer in Mass in B minor by Bach

Czech Philharmonic

About

Patrick Grahl hasn't added a bio